Summary

In vivid detail, Francis Wheen tells the story ofDas Kapitaland Karl Marx's twenty-year struggle to complete his unfinished masterpiece. Born in a two-room flat in London's Soho amid political squabbles and personal tragedy, the first volume ofDas Kapitalwas published in 1867, to muted praise. But after Marx's death, the book went on to influence thinkers, writers, and revolutionaries, from George Bernard Shaw to V. I. Lenin, changing the direction of twentieth-century history. Wheen's captivating, accessible book shows that, far from being a dry economic treatise,Das Kapitalis like a vast Gothic novel whose heroes are enslaved by the monster they created: capitalism. Furthermore, Wheen argues, as long as capitalism endures,Das Kapitaldemands to be read and understood.

In vivid detail, Francis Wheen tells the story ofDas Kapitaland Karl Marx's twenty-year struggle to complete his unfinished masterpiece. Born in a two-room flat in London's Soho amid political squabbles and personal tragedy, the first volume ofDas Kapitalwas published in 1867, to muted praise. But after Marx's death, the book went on to influence thinkers, writers, and revolutionaries, from George Bernard Shaw to V. I. Lenin, changing the direction of twentieth-century history. Wheen's captivating, accessible book shows that, far from being a dry economic treatise,Das Kapitalis like a vast Gothic novel whose heroes are enslaved by the monster they created: capitalism. Furthermore, Wheen argues, as long as capitalism endures,Das Kapitaldemands to be read and understood.

Summary

In vivid detail, Francis Wheen tells the story ofDas Kapitaland Karl Marx's twenty-year struggle to complete his unfinished masterpiece. Born in a two-room flat in London's Soho amid political squabbles and personal tragedy, the first volume ofDas Kapitalwas published in 1867, to muted praise. But after Marx's death, the book went on to influence thinkers, writers, and revolutionaries, from George Bernard Shaw to V. I. Lenin, changing the direction of twentieth-century history. Wheen's captivating, accessible book shows that, far from being a dry economic treatise,Das Kapitalis like a vast Gothic novel whose heroes are enslaved by the monster they created: capitalism. Furthermore, Wheen argues, as long as capitalism endures,Das Kapitaldemands to be read and understood.